New Delhi, Dec 9 (UNI) Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on the floor of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, that regardless of its size, no airline would be allowed to cause hardship to passengers by its inability to comply with regulations.
Naidu also stated on the floor of the House that rules for safety will be implemented. “Safety in civil aviation is completely non-negotiable,” he said.
The Minister implied that his comments were directed at India’s largest airline whose inability to hire pilots in time for the implementation of rules for rostering and rest hours for crew, had caused widespread chaos and disruption at Indian airports.
The new rules have been temporarily kept in abeyance. However, the minister’s remarks are being taken to mean they will be enforced soon after giving airlines time to hire more pilots.
Sources in the civil aviation ministry said that in case an airline is unable to fill up required vacancies they may have to give up certain routes to airlines which have enough crew strength to take on routes, following the new norms for duty and rest hours.
Making a statement in the lower house of the Parliament, Naidu said “strict and appropriate action will be taken” against the airline.He also pointed out that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already issued notices to IndiGo for the disruptions caused to Indian aviation industry.
Stating that airports and flight schedules were returning to normal, Naidu said, “IndiGo was ordered to issue refunds promptly and more than Rs 750 crore has already reached passengers.”
“Refunds, baggage tracing and passenger support measures remain under the supervision of the ministry,” he said. “Based on the report (made by DGCA after a probe into the disruptions), strict and appropriate action will be taken,” the minister added.
However, the minister’s statement failed to satisfy all sections of the house and opposition parties staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha.
Naidu says safety first, no airline will be allowed to place passengers in distress
